For your own safety
by zel-chan
Summary: Rin finds himself imprisoned... It's for his own safety after all. Or so Yukio says. Rated M for mentions of abuse and torture of different kinds.
1. Caged

**For your safety**

A.N.: many ideas for fics, but I'd rather stick with one shot ideas for the time being (as I have other stories in progress already). Inspired by the preview for ep. 22, yet has absolutely nothing to do with said episode...

Disclaimer: do not own Ao no Exorcist and its protagonists, just my stupidly over working imagination (and sadism), which lead to this fic…

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><p>He was caged.<p>

Like an animal.

Not a wild animal, no, but like a discarded pet. That was how he felt at the moment.

Forgotten, put aside, abandoned, alone…

"It's for your own safety Nii-san" had been Yukio's explanation.

His safety from what?

He must have asked that at some point, right?

Or maybe he had been too busy yelling obscenities at his little brother's stupidity to actually do that. He had been so pissed.

"It's for your own safety."

The sentence would run in circles in his head from day one, not that he had anything more productive to do. He was caged, a mere four walls prison. One side of his cell being made of steel bars.

And if you asked why he hadn't already started scorching the place down with his flames…well, probably because of the numerous anti-demon charms stuck on the walls and bars, so many he could hardly even get up on his own. Everyday was a fight just to manage it to the small toilet that was (kindly) provided by his retainers.

"It's for your own safety."

Yukio too, would repeat this every minutes he got to see Rin from behind the bars. On the days when the older twin was so exhausted by the seals and… other things, the younger one would especially insist on this point, and the half demon supposed it was because his precious family thought he was merely pouting, or at least, Yukio convinced himself he was pouting.

Because, who could be so blind?

"It's for your own safety."

Had this concerned the safety of others, he might, maybe, have considered it. He could have thought about it and then asked what he could do to improve himself, to show that he wasn't 'dangerous'. But no, it was for "his" safety.

"It's for your own safety."

He missed Bon.

Yes, the very same rebellious, yet overly brainy youth, which he had both admired and competed with.

He missed their arguing, and threatening, and spats, he missed the cat fights where they'd scratch each other face both verbally and physically. Not seriously, just to let off some steam.

And he missed Shima.

Shima and his perverted comments that would have every one of them rolling their eyes to the very back of their heads. He was lazy and hyper active at the same time, a duality that was (and could be) only his.

He missed Konekomaru.

He missed the little guy. The sacredly cat which feared him and his blood. He made Rin want to surpass himself even more. He had strived to appease the young monk's fears so very much! Now, he couldn't even try to.

He missed Kamiki.

"Dot brows" and her snide remarks was always comforting. A real life tsundere which would boost their little troop's moral without looking like it had been her intention. She had been so nice to him in the hardest of times… in her own way.

He missed Shiemi.

Her kindness and innocence. Always true to herself. He missed her gentle voice terribly.

He even missed Shura.

She wasn't allowed here. He missed her… motherly presence. Though if that ever got of this cell, he'd probably meet an early end by her blade… or fists… depended on the mood.

And Takara- ok he didn't really know much the little weirdo… but he still preferred his presence than that of the dirty cement walls…

He missed Mephis- ok, no. He'd sooner miss Mr. Igor Neuhaus or even _Angel_ than **that** guy… _seriously_.

He missed Kuro and Ukobach, the little familiars that made his time at the dorm look like a comforting home with pet friends… ok pets which could cook and grow the size of a freaking elephant… and talk to him through some kind of telepathy… but still…

He missed his father… his adoptive one if he dared to be more precise, not that he thought anyone could have had any doubts on that one. The other one he'd rather have him go to- err- somewhere even worse than hell, and from which he couldn't give anymore pain to anyone in the whole universe.

Most of all, he missed his little brother.

He missed his brother from the time when he was still nice and sweet and cute; from the time when he'd need his big brother to act as a shield around him. That was selfish of him, and Yukio probably had that same selfishness for him, and that might be why he didn't fight his predicament more than that. He wanted to hug him and tell him that every thing would be alright, to have him put band aids on his torn fingers and knees, and be scolded for his recklessness; then he'd smile the stupidest smile he could pull, wide and toothy, and end the argument by complimenting his little brother's skills at mending his idiot self…

All that seemed to be so far away now…

"It's for your own safety."

How many times had he wondered about the possible 'dangers', which were plaguing his dear, sweet and cute little brother's mind when he had said that. At the very least, he knew which dangers the cage wasn't protecting him from…

"It's for your own safety."

Who cared about _his_ safety? People **hated** him with passion. That much, the exorcists in charge of his _safety_ made sure he understood that one, simple fact.

"It's for your own safety."

The people who were appointed to look after him wouldn't pipe up when his brother was around, at first; maybe they were scared of him too…or maybe it was something else, who knew. Sometimes, Rin had wondered if they even _breathed,_ or if they were too scarred that he might tell on them. But, obviously, that fear was gone by now, overridden by self-confidence. He could see it, from his position, the dirty looks and the smirks they'd give either him or their colleagues, and the subtitled meanings weren't lost on him.

"It's for your own safety."

But the _safety_ of his restricted space didn't last long. Didn't survive his first "I'll see you tomorrow Nii-san, be good." from Yukio…

He wanted to yell, cry and throw a hissy fit. As if he was a child all over again. Like he had been, not so long ago. Like he had been before being thrown into this cage…

He had been so innocent… for a demon child, that is.

It had started lightly, though, at the time, he wasn't aware that humans could do worse to him.

Exorcists would make a line, blaming his existence in turns, making his life miserable through words. The most daring ones would punctuate their statements by banging the bars of his cage. They'd keep at it until he either retreated like a scarred animal, or looked like he had developed a severe enough headache.

Soon, just sounds weren't enough to satisfy them. They'd spit on him, knowing he had no strength to retaliate. They'd use steel or wooden bars to force his weakened and limping form to the very back of the cell, sometimes until he had to hide behind the small toilet he was provided with. If he refused to move or just looked like he wanted to tell them off, the bars would poke at him, stabbing his sore body all over.

He knew. He should have told his brother, or at least hinted at it while it stayed at that. But he had been scarred: scarred that his little brother wouldn't believe him. And if Yukio treated him like a liar… if he ever got proof of his only remaining family distrusting him and treating him like demon trash… he'd die, right here, right then. It'd be easy. He'd just have to stop resisting the tempting call of death all those times he'd get hurt beyond what a normal human could live through.

"It's for your own safety."

It had barely taken a week until his retainers had found out that the seals weakened Rin too much for him to try to escape, even if they opened the cage. That was when the _real_ nightmare began.

They'd use nothing and everything.

Their fists, their feet, the steel bars from before, some barbed wire to choke him and tie him down, growing creative each and every day. He still healed fast, so it was fine, though they'd keep the marks away from his face and where ever his little brother could easily get a glimpse of the dried blood.

Yet, Yukio might just believe he did this to himself… somehow. He was afraid of the possibility.

"It's for your own safety."

It was abuse.

Pure and simple abuse.

It'd grow, and grow, and _grow_.

The exorcists would undress him, both to find places they could damage freely, and to put shame on the demon spawn that he was. But soon, that little ritual had ignited the worst possible of scenarios.

Everyday he felt weaker and weaker. His body hurt in places he never knew _could_ hurt. The seals had a growing effect, and now he could hardly even _crawl_ to the toilet, not that he managed to get anything out other than blood. His body so hurt tat he'd vomit blood, the hits filling his bladder with it, and other abuse… ripping him till blood was all that ever got out.

Did he mention that those kind men were supposed to feed him?

Some food he was getting…

They taunted him once, when he had complained, giving him the dead carcass of a puppy, probably found on the side of the road… or at least he hoped. He hopped they hadn't been so cruel as to- no! It just made his inability to kick their asses even worse. Of course, he hadn't said a single word about food ever since, nor did he feel like he ever wanted to see a piece of meat served in front of him… ever. The image of what had been called "his food" would plague him forever. He knew they were foods in certain civilizations and that, one dead thing was just meat and all… but the abandoned kitties and puppies had been his only friends when he was a little kid…

Idly, he tried to remember just how many he had brought to the monastery, where he'd claim that they _needed_ to keep it. Somehow, with a kitten, as safely as his little arms could allow, tucked in his arms, nor his father, nor the apprentices, nor his little brother could fight him at those times. They'd just manage to make him understand that they couldn't keep the forty-seven other little pets that followed him like he was the Pied Piper. So they'd go on for days, searching people to keep the little scratching pests that filled the monastery for a while… good memories that a demon like him probably wasn't supposed to cherish.

To him, such love was _his_ humanity. He wouldn't betray himself, he wouldn't forget himself.

"It's for your own safety."

The sentence resonated once more, as the iron door to his restraining space creaked open. Letting in four men, one young, around his twenties, two grown adults around their thirties/forties, he wasn't sure, and a last one which he couldn't determine the generation he came from. It wasn't important anyway. The Halfling didn't care about any of this. Nor did he care for the other two that stayed out to _guard_ him…dutifully.

"And Rin daily ritual began."

He remained limp and lifeless as they carefully undressed his daily provided wear, because Yukio insisted that he should keep as comfortable as possible; even if his only possibility for a shower was a carelessly thrown washing cloth and a basin put out of the cage, which basically meant that he had to bath naked in front of complete strangers… ah, Yukio, did you ever think? Or is irony the only thing you'll ever give to your brother now…?

The hands of nameless exorcists roamed over his flesh, inspecting his recovery from the last time they had marked him. Tracing the many lines. The sore, bruised lines. The white, scarred lines. The swelled ones caused by burns, all of those.

Hardly putting any thoughts into it, he merely observed as one of the "guards" started to redden the metal of a long, but not very thick, metal bar with the help of mere torch one of the four inside the cell just lighted. Sometimes he wondered where they found all those, and how they managed to bring them down here without alerting a single nice soul…

"It's for your own safety."

The kick aimed to his lower abdomen brought forth a disheartened whine. It wasn't like he could feel much more pain from this place. His pelvis was already nothing more than smashed bones, vainly trying to get back together as a whole.

There was so much pain in his body that it made him numb.

Even his tail was completely crooked, and god knows (and maybe Satan as well) that had hurt.

Humiliating words were thrown at him, but he was deaf to those by now.

An angry shove had him lay on his stomach. He closed his every senses as hands started grabbing him and putting him in a position which made his broken body bleed from the inside. His legs couldn't support him. His ribs hurt so bad it was incredible he even had the courage to keep on breathing.

He didn't hear the sound of those men who shuffled in their clothes, he didn't want to. He refused to understand what was happening to him. And Rin never accepted to understand what were those fleshy, hot, _things_ the men would put inside of his body, have him touch, have him taste… And the substance that would cover him, along with the insults, was unknown to him. The men took turns, at different parts of his body, for reasons he refused to acknowledge.

The metal bar was starting to _smell_ though. It smelled of heated metal, made Rin want to cry, he didn't know why, but burning him hurt especially hard, he wondered why: since he was using flames, he thought he was sort of immune to this, but no…

But the yellow/red steel remained above the flame of the torch for a little longer, the one in charge of the metal rod cursing at the strain in his arms that held the blazing bar with the help of many layers of clothes, just so he wouldn't burn himself. Yet, he was soon relieved of that charge, as the torch holder took the bar instead.

The man without age came to his face, and put his overly sore jaw out of its sockets. The half-demon didn't really feel that either, it happened often, as it healed really quickly, it was like a constant pain now.

What had him a bit more stressed however, was the way the man behind him started pulling at his hair, having him make a straight diagonal line, with his mouth hanging open…and the dangerously sizzling weapon nearing his vulnerable position from the front.

His breath hitched as the metal started burning down the small duvet of his youthful face at a distance.

The man took aim.

No matter if Rin tried to gather the last of his energy, even if he ate up what little ice maintained him on the living side and kept him from plunging into the deathly embrace of oblivion, he couldn't prevent what was about to hap-

"OKUMURA! You better not have thought we were gonna stay put while you're rotting in a fucking _prison_! OY!"

Maybe his brain was so dead he started to hear Bon yelling at him… what a shitty brain, really, he could have chosen someone, I dunno, _cuter_! Though he was still very happy for the attention, he was so happy that he could go as far as to kiss that voice…whenever he got the energy to do so… (though, by then, he'd have regained his senses, he supposed).

"Bon, we're not gonna find him if you scream like that…"

Ok. Konekomaru was improvement, but not exactly what he had been thinking about… Maybe sexier?

"What are you babbling about! RI~IN-KUN~!"

…

Shima. No comment…

"Tsk! So stupid!"

Kamiki's grumble, at last!

"I hope he's alright!"

Shiemi! NOW, _that_ was what he was talking about!

But the sudden pause in his retainers' actions had the little demon come to a dangerous realization.

'No, no, no, no, no! Don't! Don't see! NO! Don't come looking for me! Don't, don't, don't, don't, don't!' his mind screamed, his eyes cried and his body trembled. The realization that all of this was very real didn't bode well with him.

It was with an unbearable sadism that the man holding the burning metal smirked at him, while the one behind him he could feel trembling, probably with the fear of being discovered.

Rin heard his friends run into the retainers outside of his cell.

He could almost _hear_ the sound of Bon's eyes as they directed themselves to the inside of his small prison, closely followed by the ones of Shima, the two being the only truly reliable people to fight against humans.

He heard a gasp. Who knew whom it came from, it was no longer important.

The metal rod plunged.

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><p>A.N.: And yeah… I stopped there XD, I know I'm cruel but I have other fics to take care about right now, just have a bit of a block on them. Maybe, one day, I'll put just a tiny second chapter, but don't get your hopes too high up!<p> 


	2. Safe, or not

**For your safety**

A.N.: Wow, I was actually impressed by the number of reviews this fic gained in less than 24 hours (though it completely stopped right afterwards, just getting favorites or alerts…)! I just posted this before entering my first lesson at school in the morning, and when I got back home and opened my mail I was all: OoO "WTH happened?". So here, for you is the second chapter! Which might be slight Bon x Rin…but not too much, it's just that I love this pairing so much that I can't help put a bit of it no matter how I upturn this fic… Some brotherly love from Rin too, see it as you wish, there really isn't much though, you'll understand why.

Disclaimer: do not own Ao no Exorcist and its protagonists, just my stupidly over working imagination (and sadism), which lead to this fic…

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><p>He couldn't understand, didn't <em>want<em> to understand. And he knew that none of them wanted to either, not even _him_. Yes, for once in his whole life, Ryuji Sugoro, aka "Bon", whished he could be an idiot. He wished he could be stupid enough not to comprehend the reality of what he had seen unfold in front of his very eyes.

"So selfish." He told himself.

He was so selfish for thinking this… For wanting to ignore his friend's suffering. Because that's what he was wishing for in the end: the ability to ignore all of this.

But he was Ryuji Suguro! He was a man that went forward, always. He followed his teachings, and if they said that he had to resist the temptation, to ignore his selfishness, then he would. For the good of his friends, he'd bear the burden.

Still, how did it all come down to this?

Just Rin being taken away, Okumura Yukio ordering them to stay out of this matter. The young teacher had merely told them that Rin had to be detained. Detained to avoid the most fervent haters to react to his mere sight.

Alright, Rin was the son of Satan, and Satan was deeply hated, by him as well. It was understandable that with the tension as high as it was right now, there were risks… But weren't they always here? They hadn't comprehended the human twin's reasoning. It just sounded like an execution. The Vatican wanted Rin out of the picture, one way or another. If they took Mephisto's bet saying that they'd see if the son of Satan could become their weapon, it didn't include having the teen follow a normal path through the exorcists' hierarchy.

It didn't take a genius to comprehend that they wanted to keep Rin like an item, a mere _thing_ until they found the right moment to use him… and then dispose of him. And that knowledge had Ryuji lose his temper to tremendous amounts.

He wasn't the only one with such a problem, but the other's slow and half-hearted reactions had truly been what triggered a real emotional explosion on his part. Crying wouldn't change anything, Shiemi could mope all she wanted, her reaction was so useless. Feeling sorry was useless, he even had yelled at Konekomaru for his complaining that would never turn into actions unless he was possessed. Being just angry wouldn't change anything, and Shima's grumbling had annoyed him greatly. Takara was as emotionless and useless as ever. Shura was just drunk. And there was no way any of them could comprehend Kuro's crying "meows".

In the end, only Kamiki had shown some sense, by thinking of a plan, of actions to take, of course, they wouldn't just stand idly and let their friend to rot forgotten in some cage, or whatever they left him in. Bon's friends had to restrain him for a while, since all he wanted was to ram himself into the Vatican's door and yell at the top of his lung all the reasons why what they were doing was wrong. They had tried to tell him that he might just end up imprisoned like their half-demon friend, but he hadn't cared, if anything, he had hopes of being able to plan something with Rin in case they'd let him close to his restraining quarters.

Finally they had managed to find Rin's location, deep under Roma, were you could find the Vatican's headquarters. How they found out? Mephisto's falsely loose tongue… They knew perfectly well their principal was playing dumb, since he had relatively poor acting skills at those times. Just like how he had 'accidentally' dropped the key to the coliseum's catacombs from which they could reach the secret passages under Roma…

That had been…an eventful adventure, to say the least.

And yet, nothing could have prepared them to what they had met with inside of the Vatican's most (un-)guarded prison.

The whole structure was filled with runes and charms of all sorts; no demon could have dared to come into this hole, a good thing that they hadn't taken Rin's familiar with them. Most of all, they were worried by the fact that Rin, as a half demon, remained relatively sensitive to those things. Keeping him there, it was like asking for the elder Okumura to take a bath of holy water and stay in it for _days_.

A shiver had run through their group (which Takara had followed for reasons only he knew) at the realization that Rin had probably stayed in there ever since he had been captured…almost a month ago.

Yet, that realization… was absolutely nothing.

The shock that struck them at the sight of their lost friend.

Nothing could compare to this.

Nothing.

"Damn it!" Ryuji shook at the memory, tears gathering at the corners of his eyes as he was unable to shake of the horrendous image.

The memory was still clear as day.

As they charged into the prison, lost as they had been, they could think of nothing else than to scream the half-demon's name at the top of their lungs, just to get a reaction. And soon enough, a reaction they got.

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><p>*flashback*<p>

They spotted the two exorcists that guarded a suspiciously well lit area.

Pushed by the assurance that _this_ place was the right one, Bon rushed forward, ready to take care of the two confused guards. He felt Shima following him on instinct to help him. The others stopped a few meters before the area where the actual clash took place, ready to back the duo up with everything they had.

The pink haired Exwire made a quick job of knocking out the man which held awkwardly a torch as a weapon. Bon, much rougher when it came to clashing with human than with demons, rashly threw himself at the barehanded guard. The unknown man cushioned his fall to the ground and, as he did so, hit the back of his head to the hard stone floor. But neither fighter let their guard down, knowing full well that two guards couldn't be all, and that they had most likely called for backup at the sound of their voices.

They didn't have a second to lose now.

Shima who was ready before him turned to the cell, ready to throw whoever inside his trademark lazy grin…only, he couldn't bring himself to do it.

When Bon heard the "gasp" from his childhood friend, he turned in alert to him first, only to saw his horror struck face. He was pretty sure not even the hugest spider they had ever come across, had caused his womanizer of a friend to lose face to such an extent.

He turned finally to the scene that had shocked his old friend.

And his mind drew a blank.

His throat constricted and he found himself completely unable to understand the image that was imprinting itself into his memory… for life.

Oh, they had found Rin...

Rin and four more guards. One had in his grasp a frail wrist that looked recently broken, if he could judge from its awkward angle. Another, in the process of getting his lower garments up, for reasons he'd rather ignore at the moment, stood on the side lines, obviously unprepared for their appearance.

But the worst wasn't even there.

From where they stood, the two teens had a plain sight of what the other two males were doing. Like a live version of what they already saw in the other two in a subdued manner.

Rin, their friend, their comrade, being taken by some nameless man like he was nothing but an old toy for that purpose, a man that probably pretended himself an exorcist and a rightful human being.

The last one, scorching rod in hand, brought Ryuji back to his senses, but too late. He could only watch, powerlessly as the reddened metal plunged deep into the black haired teen's open throat, eliciting an inhuman sound, in-between sizzling, gurgling blood and a muffled scream.

He wanted to throw up… But that'd have to wait. Even Shima realized this as they rushed inside at full strength, ready to avenge the inhuman prejudice done to their precious friend.

Their two man army, in any other circumstances, would most certainly be defeated by the four, probably well trained, exorcists. But they were driven by the strength of despair: the desperate need to get Rin out of this misery.

Bon barely registered his own voice as he screamed to the other members of their group to stay aside, where they couldn't see what was happening. He certainly didn't want the pure and innocent Shiemi, nor his tiny and easily scared childhood friend Konekomaru, nor Kamiki to see what they had as well (but he didn't really care about Takara). He rushed inside the small cell on that note, lucky enough for them, the men hadn't thought of locking the cell's door.

He saw pure rage settled into Shima's features as he ran the pointed end of his praying spear right into the shoulder of the man that had been raping their friend, using the head of said spear to smack into the face of the one holding the pure blue eyed spawn of Satan's wrist. He almost cringed at the sight of the first exorcist's bloody member sliding out of his half-demon friend, almost, because he didn't have time for cringing.

Without the man's support Rin's body fell limply to the ground, letting the metal rod, still in the other exorcist's grasp, slide out of his throat as well. It dislodged with an abominable wet sound as it brought with its now cooler surface, blood, and bits of flesh stuck because of the fragility of the surface it had burned.

Before the man could even think of using the bar as a weapon against him, Ryuji went forward and struck, right into the disgusting human's jaw, breaking the bone with his completely out of control rage.

The last exorcist that had finally managed to get his pants back up tried to flee the small cell, but he had barely managed to get his two feet out of the small prison that Bon saw him knocked down by Kamiki's demon foxes. He would have never thought of her using her taming skills against a human, but he guessed their faces earlier had been enough to give her an idea of the horror they had witnessed.

He heard a gasp from Shiemi, followed by a few protests as the innocent and clueless girl was kept from helping the fallen men. He shook his head to try and bring back his senses and thoughts as the pigtailed Exwire asked if they could come.

Shima, faster than himself, hurriedly told her that she should remain where she was and let them take care of the rest. He could sense the confusion from Sjiemi and Konekomaru, but Bon at least trusted Izumo to keep them in check.

The rooster haired male gently approached his fallen comrade, afraid to touch him, afraid of knowing the extent of damage that was done to the frail body of his rival and friend.

He looked so thin, so fragile, so broken…

The delicate ribs were apparent under the milky skin that terribly lacked exposition to the sunlight. The number of bruises and swollen area made the future Aria want to squeeze his eyes shut, but he had to stay strong.

Bon delicately took the dark blue haired youth's hand in his, doing his best as to not jolt him.

"Please be alive…" he prayed in a low voice, he didn't want to see his friend die so close to regained freedom.

He cupped the broken face in his other hand, his body looked so rough and large compared to his demon friend's. His eyes settled into the deep, bottomless and dead looking eyes of his comrade. The sight gripped at his heart, but as he saw Rin blink, he at least had the confirmation that he was still…_physically_ living.

"We'll get you out of here…. It's a promise." He whispered to the fragile looking boy.

Shima came to his side right then, his button up shirt in hand as he silently asked how they should proceed.

"Help me get him on my back." Bon ordered, to which Shima nodded, still silent.

They managed to carefully hoist their charge up and on Bon's back. Once that was done, Shima put his shirt upon Rin's shoulders. However, as the half-demon's wrist were still very much broken, like most of the rest of his body, he didn't dare try to make Rin _wear_ the shirt. Seeing as the protection was rather minimal, he eyed one of the Exorcists' coat that laid on the floor.

"They probably won't need it as much as we will." He whispered as he took hold of one of the coats. It would be more accurate to say that he didn't want to use the tainted men's clothes on his friend, but they couldn't be picky.

Once Rin was sufficiently covered, they hurriedly made their way outside, glad of the fact that they didn't seem to have been spotted by backup just yet.

"Let's get out of this hell hole!" Bon growled as he met with the gasping face of Shiemi which just _screamed_ that she wanted to treat Rin immediately, the understanding one of Izumo, and the concerned one of Konakomary, Takara having no expression as usual (why are we even talking about him anyway, I wonder).

With that said, they ran to the closest place where they knew a door could be found and used one of Mephisto's special keys to get back to school grounds.

*end flashback*

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><p>It had all happened two days ago.<p>

And now, here they were, hiding at some rundown and forgotten Shinto temple in Japan. A place which had hurriedly been introduced to them by Shura upon realizing what they had done. Well…actually appearing out of the blue at the exorcists' Cram School might not have been the best idea, but they were immensely relieved to see that their laziest teacher was on their side, along with Kuro who had decided to tag along, although no one could understand the cat demon…

Now they were to hide there with Rin until things cooled down, their big concern being the possibility of being discovered by Yukio, since he probably knew of this place. Takara had returned to school, obviously not caring enough to stay with them, but he had somewhat promised not to communicate anything that he knew… not that he communicated much anyway. Well, for most of them, those were the biggest concerns, but Ryuji was currently more preoccupied by Rin's lack of response.

The youth was in a very poor state, and his healing abilities had slowed down due to the many seals, charms and injuries he had been subjected to. A lot of his bones had been broken and forced to reform wrongly because of his high speed recovery rate. The bruises faded quite fast, which was good. The torn places were still in recovery, although he still had no idea of the current state of his throat… What worried Bon the most was probably the very dark bruise that didn't to want to disappear around the area of the half-demon's stomach, which was also probably resulting from the beating and…the scorching down of his esophagus. Shiemi took care of most of the basic healing, but there was only so much she could do, and she was still too young and inexperienced to take care of the wounds done….in the more private areas.

And even though Rin could heal himself rather quickly, even with the slowed down rate, they had already learned the hard way that it didn't spar him the complications or possibilities of infections. So they had to treat him. It as fine so long as he slept, but the streaked youth was more worried of having his probably still very traumatized friend bear with their treatment awake.

He, himself, was still extremely embarrassed whenever he had to treat the half-demon's wounds. He knew he shouldn't be, since it was for his well being… But that weird thing-TAIL- always getting in the way, hot and moving unconsciously had a tendency to distress him in his metical work. Not only that, but he had to treat the broken appendage as well… and Shiemi had told him that this part of the demon body could be especially worrisome as, alike the spine, its workings were very intricate and fragile, it wasn't a given whether or not the demon would be able to feel the appendage again in its entirety one day or not.

So it was all the more distressing to see the _thing_ moving about at the base while half of it was looking like some dead weight, unable to move. And it was so delicate that he had to move it around with great care, Izumo had a particularly…err-detailed way of explaining to her male companions that, she would not hesitate to ask the always eager Shura to cut off their dicks then sew them back on so they could understand the importance of taking GREAT care of a wounded and _sensitive_ appendage… No need to mention the reason _why_ the other three guys had quickly left Bon to take care of Rin under the pretence that they were _very_ clumsy… So all the joy was his… from cleaning to treating the most intimate wounds on the Demon… But he'd certainly get Shima back for his cowardice….

* * *

><p>On the third day after their escape. Shima had been coerced into helping Bon in his task of cleaning the wounds and treating the unconscious demon. The both of them shared a common worry towards the wounds that didn't seem like they wanted to heal, and the only aggravating bruise around Rin's stomach which now formed somewhat of a bump on the otherwise starved hollow of his abdomen.<p>

Later within the day, Shura decided to join them along with, very surprisingly, Igor Neuhaus (I'm not following the anime on that matter of ex-wives being brought back to life as demons etc. Ect….). The professor might not have been on the friendliest terms with the spawn of Satan… but following his explanation, he had "supposedly, some sort of, maybe, not really but still some debt to repay to the demon"… following his explanation.

Igor had some better bases than Shiemi regarding wounds (especially those where you lose a lot of blood apparently), but even he admitted that he couldn't operate on Rin under the given unsanitary conditions.

"That bruise… is probably the reason why his wounds won't heal 'normally'. His whole system is trying to heal this part, yet is unable to complete this task." He had stated.

Given Neuhaus' explanations (better this time), Rin healed following a certain pattern: he healed fast during certain hours or moments where his body felt at ease and at a normal human rate during other times. The problem was that Rin's body, while on fast healing rate, focused mainly on healing what he saw as a probable internal bleeding, up to a certain point where it supposedly was no longer life threatening; but by that time Rin's ability regressed to normal human level, and during that time, the wound which caused the internal bleeding would reopen and the circle begin anew. Each time the wound would get worse, and the blood, unable to get cleaned in time, would accumulate and create an inflammation.

While the explanation had done nothing to enlighten most of the Exwires, it had positively crushed down their optimism regarding their friend's condition.

At the very least, he managed to prepare perfusions and the likes so Rin could recharge himself in nutrients without his friends having to worry about giving him anything to eat.

* * *

><p>On the fourth day.<p>

Rin awoke.

Confused and weak but still awake, talking and smiling even if it was a bit strained. He was kept from using his voice too much or moving around (not that he could really).

All of his friends came to him, smiling and taking care of him like he was a newborn baby. He was grateful for them and their care. He thanked them all, even Neuhaus and Shura. He accepted a hug from Shiemi and did his best not to look like the whole thing had left any scars on him.

Kuro had jumped out of the dirty laundry the demon used as a bed, to rush to his master's side. The Cait Sith bundling itself against Rin's neck and shoulder, occasionally giving the blue eyed male a loving lick to express its happiness.

It was only much later, when Bon was alone with the half-demon, taking care of the wounds like he always did (since Rin couldn't move by himself yet), that Rin finally broke down. Crying and sobbing against his rough friend's firm back, as he refused to be seen like this. Bon was the only one realizing how much a single touch could send his friend into a traumatized frenzy, the only one who could bear the burden of knowing this.

When Rin had calmed down, he had cleaned him slowly, taking care of explaining and preparing the dark blue haired youth before each touch, each move, and each action. Even an hour after the whole ordeal was over, he was still asking for the others to stay out of the room, reassuring the half-demon by stroking his dark blue mane while Kuro would soothingly purr against its master's thigh.

"Bon… Please, don't be mad at Yukio… I… love him… he's my dear brother… don't hate him. I know… he just doesn't know… how much… he's loved. I'm just too stubborn… too oblivious… but he'll always be my crybaby of a brother… I want him to be happy. He deserves it…" the blue eyed demon whispered to his fake rebel of a friend that night, before his consciousness faded again.

And Bon had to contain his rage as he unwillingly accepted that wish, unsure whether or not he could keep his promise.

* * *

><p>On the morning of the fifth day.<p>

Rin's health suddenly dangerously degraded. His face became extremely pale and Igor decided against moving him in anyway and possibly calling for specialized medics.

When noon came, so did Yukio. Like a wall between them and the outside of the temple and possibly the path to get the hospital informed of their distress.

The young man apparently very adamant about getting his "Nii-san" back, didn't look like he had any intention of hearing their arguments. At least not until Shura dislocated his jaw and Bon pushed him against the wall, leaving the younger male know of his displeasure and the many reasons behind it.

Of course, the glasses wearing male was also fiercely (or as fiercely as he could with the atrocious pain he had in his jaw) refuting those accusations. The argument lasted some time, in which the Exwires could see that Yukio did not bring company to the temple.

Later in the day, Yukio was contained within the temple grounds while Bon retreated back into Rin's room to watch over the delicate youth.

As night came over the temple grounds, Bon checked over his charge's body, only to retreat, panicked and ask for the help of Igor: the only other person, besides Yukio who was still but a student in human doctoring, he knew was capable of giving the half-demon some treatment.

If Yukio had doubted his students' harsh accusations before, in front of the facts, he could no longer close his eyes to the truth he had known all along. He could no longer pretend that nothing was done to his dear brother when he saw the terrible wounds, and most of all, the dark blue large bruise that covered most of his brother's abdomen. It was only a glimpse from an half opened door that quickly closed behind the streaked youth's back.

Rin's face was pale, sweaty, shockingly sick as it was illuminated by a mix of blue moonlight and yellow artificial light. Kuro was mewling incomprehensible words of worry and encouragement to its master, none of them could understand what the poor cat demon wanted to tell, but they _did_ understand the emotion the pained voice held. Even Igor showed an exceptional moment of weakness and kindness, as he soothingly petted the fury head to calm the small demon down.

A deafening silence fell as Neuhaus gave his final judgment through uncharacteristically trembling lips. He recognized now the signs of a wound that would have killed any normal human in the span of a few hours, but _thanks_ to the abilities of his sworn enemy's son, had allowed him suffer for days of this terrible wound.

Hours later, Bon emerged from the room to face the bound Yukio. And at his sight, he couldn't help but punch the young male's moley face.

As Yukio recuperated from the harsh and unexpected punch, he didn't expect to next find himself with an armful of swearing and crying bleached youth. For some reason, he found himself crying, albeit silently, as well, even though he had no idea of why.

Bon chanted his hate for the youth he was embracing, crying out his shame and guilt at being unable to keep his promises. Crying for being useless in this moment of need. For being unable to help his friend who was suffering. For Rin who was stupid enough to still love an asshole like Yukio no matter what he did to him.

Shima and Konekomaru came out afterwards, feigning ignorance at their friend's display, merely sitting, depressed, at each side of Yukio who was still locked in his one way embrace. Kamiki followed closely, preparing to say something before abandoning her line of thoughts and sitting next to Shima, not worried about receiving any sort of lewd comments at the moment.

Shura came out next, carrying in her arms a hysterically crying Kuro, the demon's sad mewls wrenching Yukio's confused heart.

Shiemi followed suit. She took Bon's place to also cry against Yukio's frame, said male allowing her to take his place as he tried to gather himself back together. Once he thought he was ready to go, he went to return to the room in which Rin rested in the care of Igor.

Shura tried to stop him on his path, shaking her head at Bon, refusing to let him go back. However, a depressing look from the streaked youth and a reassuring gesture from Shima, who got up to let his hand rest on the lazy teacher's arm, had her give up.

When Igor also emerged from the room and the cries from the rebel youth echoed from within the small room, Yukio understood that he'd never see his brother smile at him again.

On the night leading to the sixth day, Rin was dead.

* * *

><p>The end!<p>

A.N.: I had another version but it started getting much too long, I'm not really satisfied with this one either though… Don't hate me! My perverted side insisted that I'd never finish this if Rin didn't meet his end… And we need some more deathfics around here… Me think.


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